should i stay or should i go

[Bach3387]

thanks for all the help Bungalo Bill, and i am sorry for asking the same questions over and over again. i still don't know what i am going to do, but when i figure out i will notify you. i am definately going to make a choice soon, because i need to practice one.

and, of course, i have one more question

which stroke takes longer to do, like preparation time, because i often play on fast hard courts?
thanks again

[Bungalo Bill]

Originally Posted by Bach3387

thanks for all the help Bungalo Bill, and i am sorry for asking the same questions over and over again. i still don't know what i am going to do, but when i figure out i will notify you. i am definately going to make a choice soon, because i need to practice one.

and, of course, i have one more question

which stroke takes longer to do, like preparation time, because i often play on fast hard courts?
thanks again

The nice thing about the twohander is you dont need a big take back. You can generate a good amount of racquet head speed within a short distance. It is also a lot easier to hold off till the last second and send the ball the other way with your wrists.

The onehander needs sooner preparation time because your hitting shoulder is in front of your body. So it needs to extend the arm somewhat for a good hit. That means your contacting the ball in front of your body more then the twohander which has its hitting shoulder further back or the back shoulder.

It is not that the onehander is a hard "stroke" to learn. What is hard is to be able to hit ball after ball and time them properly. The twohander is definitely the easier of the two in timing. Mainly because of the extra strength you have in the non-dominant arm you can fend off a late hit.

Here is an indication for you. It took Sampras 4 years to master his onehander for his level of play. You might never reach Sampras's level, but the college level isnt for slow-pokes either. Let me put it this way, it isnt high school tennis that is for sure!

Here is my take, master the slice this summer. Just knuckle down and master it. Take a lesson from a pro in your area that can help you isolate the bugs in your twohander. Then practice them. Practice them! Give it one year of hard work. Work on your footwork, your strength in your non-dominant arm and your coordination. Work hard. Hit lots of boring lefthanded forehands. If you're not bored to death, you're not doing something right. In about a month, you will improve and improve and improve. Pretty soon you're going to love hitting that twohanded backhand because you can smack the sucker.

With a solid slice (offensive and defensive) and a twohanded backhand, you will be versatile college player and have very good backhand weapons to answer almost any kind of ball.

I hope you do well!

[champ2087]

I sympathize with you, as i went through something similar. Let me explain about my backhand a little. I used a two hander for my first 7 years of tennis, but about 2 years ago, i somehow got a ganglian cyst on my left wrist. This is a packet of fluid that grows in your joint. It was very painful, and at times i couldnt use a two hander to play due to the pain and uncomfort. I started learning a one hander in the summer of last year. I then switched back to a two hander when my cyst was surgerically removed. Unfourutanlly it came back in a year, so im back to the one hander. Overall, i found that the two hander was much easier for being on the run and returning serves. However, when i had time to set up, i found that ripping a one hander was much more comfortable for me. Also, i also found that a slice dramatically helps your one hander, as it can slow up the game for you, as well as your oppenent finds out your hitting a topspin or slice much later then if you had a two hander (note:this may be to the lack of many experienced players i have played, as i usually play against other 16 year olds or the like). Also, you have to concentrate much harder on staying down and swinging through and up as well as lifting with your body to get a heavy topspin compared to a two hander.

Finally, this is just my personal experience, im not saying you will experience any of this, as you may not. I just hope i said something in that rambling paragraph that might help you.